The African Champions take on Iran in their group opener in Brazil later this evening ahead of forthcoming meetings with former world champions, Argentina, and Bosnia-Herzegovina
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The USA-born full-back believes that there is little to separate the three less-fancied teams in the group
Quiroz said the team was battle ready for the challenges in the preliminary stage of the Mundial and he was optimistic that his boys would shock the world
The respected tactician was in the Nigeria Football Federation delegation that flew from Lagos to Sao Paulo on Saturday and will also be in Curitiba for Monday’s first game of the FIFA World Cup for the African champions
Setting is the 42,000-capacity Arena da Baixada in Curitiba, a venue originally built in the 1990s to replace the older Estadio Jaoquim Americo Guimaraes and which is the home ground of Atletico Paranaense FC
There, they will challenge the Asian representatives, Iran
The African Champions will at about 10:30am local time, which is about 2:30pm Nigerian time leave their camp base in Capinas, Sao Paulo, for Curitiba
Queiroz, a former boss at Manchester United, said Iran’s aim was to capitalise on opportunities handed to them by opponents, who will all be tentative at the expectation they will down the group’s supposed easy beats
Omeruo suffered a heavy knock on his ankle after a training ground tangle with Chelsea teammate, Victor Moses, and had to sit out Nigeria’s final warm-up game, a 2-1 defeat to the USA in Florida
Iran were held to goalless draws against Belarus and Montenegro last month before a 1-1 draw with Angola, but goals from Ehsan Haji Safi and Reza Ghoochannejhad secured a timely return to winning ways
The world football governing body, FIFA, in a statement on its official website on Wednesday, said that Iran landed, shortly before Croatia, at the Sao Paulo International Airport, Brazil at 4:10pm (local time)
The Middlebrough loanee opined that the Brazil 2014 World Cup won’t be business as usual for Nigeria, boasting that the three-time African champions will be all out to redefine their fortune against South American heavyweights, Argentina, Iran and debutants Bosnia-Herzegovina
Iran are in Group F of the competition alongside Nigeria’s Super Eagles, as well as Argentina and Bosnia-Herzegovina.
They will face the Super Eagles, who are the reigning African champions, in their opening match of the championship on June 16
Iran have been drawn against Argentina, Bosnia & Herzegovina and Nigeria in Group F.
Team Melli will open their campaign against the African nation in Curitiba on June 16, before facing the South American giants in Belo Horizonte five days later
Nigeria had qualified after topping Group F with seven points from three matches, following 6-1 and 5-0 wins over Mexico and Iraq respectively, and a 3-3 draw with Sweden
His eight years in power have been characterised by economic turmoil and Western sanctions against Iran over its controversial nuclear programme
Kourosh Ahmadi was convicted of providing intelligence to the CIA, Tehran’s prosecutor’s office said
A statement by presidential media aide, Dr. Reuben Abati, said Jonathan also commiserated with the Islamic Republic of Iran and Pakistan, over a earthquake in a joint border town that resulted in loss of lives